DUAL-BATH ELECTRODEPOSITION OF CU/NI COMPOSITIONALLY MODULATED MULTILAYERS

The electrodeposition of Cu/Ni compositionally modulated multilayers with sublayer thickness in the nanometer range has been carried out. The deposition was conducted under galvanostatic conditions using dual-bath technique. The structure of the multilayers was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and conventional and high resolution transmission electron microscopy Cu/Ni multilayers with distinct and continuous sublayers in the range of 100 to <5 nm can be produced by dual-bath electrodeposition. Cu and Ni sublayers grow epitaxially on top of one another. The local variation in the growth rate of copper leads to a faceted morphology of the multilayers. The extent of this faceting is reduced as the sublayer thickness is decreased. A surface reaction like oxidation during transfer of the substrate does not adversely affect the crystallographic continuity at the interfaces between sublayers. The thin-film formation is discussed based on available growth models.